If you ask most moms what changes when they enter a new era of motherhood, they’ll probably tell you the same thing: life gets wonderfully full.
Between daycare drop-offs, school events, work meetings, and everyday life, friendships can become one of the hardest things to maintain.
For Jess Engel and Natalie Ganske, that could have easily happened. Instead, they stayed connected through something they both cared deeply about: showing up for their community.
The Start of a Friendship
Looking back, they can trace so many chapters of their lives through that shared commitment, building careers, growing as leaders, navigating motherhood, and raising their families.
They didn’t officially meet through United Way, but it was through the organization’s 35 Under 35 Women’s Leadership Program that their friendship formed and connection deepened. The program gave them opportunities to learn, grow and build relationships with other women leaders who shared their passion for making a difference.
Since then, they’ve walked beside each other through career changes, marriage, babies, and growing families. They’ve also supported each other through life’s hardest moments, including times of loss and deep relational changes.
Today, they are making history as United Way’s Campaign Chairs, the first time two women have shared the role. Jess serves as Vice President of Human Resources for Red River Commodities and Natalie serves as Senior Consultant, Risk & Compliance Program Governance for Choice Bank. Both bring the same instinct for showing up to their careers as they do to their volunteer work.
But their story isn’t about a title or a milestone. It’s about showing up, together.
Over the Years
After more than a decade of volunteering together, Jess and Natalie recently found themselves scrolling through 100+ photos from their years of volunteering with United Way. They saw more than just pictures. They saw changing styles, Natalie’s bangs era, Jess’s baby bump, and countless moments of showing up for their community together.
But what stood out most wasn’t the throwback fashion statements or funny memories.
It was how much life they had experienced together.
From volunteering at United Way’s School Supply Drive to speaking together in front of more than 500 women at United Way’s United for Impact Women’s event, they’ve continued finding ways to serve alongside one another.
For Natalie, one School Supply Drive moment changed everything.
More Than Just a Backpack
While volunteering at a Backpack Pickup Event, she gave a backpack to a soft-spoken mom preparing her daughter for kindergarten. When the mother opened it and realized it was filled with everything her daughter needed for her first day, Natalie heard her whisper:
“I thought I was just getting a backpack.”
The gratitude on her face is something Natalie still remembers years later.
Jess remembers a similar moment when a mom received a backpack and quietly said, “Now we can go buy shoes.”
It was a simple sentence that revealed the difficult choices many families face every year.
Those moments changed how both women viewed giving back.
Seeing the Impact
Over time, volunteering became something more, a trusted way to give with intention. Jess describes United Way almost like a financial advisor for philanthropy: a partner that helps donors understand the needs in our community and make thoughtful investments where they can create the greatest impact.
Through their involvement, Jess and Natalie have seen firsthand how United Way listens to families’ needs and invests in proven programs that create lasting change.
As mothers, the work feels personal to both of them. They weren’t just helping someone else’s child start school with confidence. They were helping create the kind of community they wanted their own children to grow up in.
Today, their children are becoming part of that story too, helping pick out backpacks, donating supplies and learning what it means to care for others.
For Jess and Natalie, their hope is that more people, especially other moms and young professionals, see that there is a place for them at United Way. You don’t have to have all the answers or know exactly where to start. Sometimes it begins with showing up, learning more, and finding your way to make an impact.
Whether it’s volunteering, connecting with community leaders or making a financial investment, every person has the opportunity to help build a stronger future for local families.
Growing Together
Their lives look different than when they first met. Their careers have changed, their families have grown and life is much fuller.
But one thing has remained the same: they continue to show up—for each other and for the community they love.
Sometimes the friendships that last the longest aren’t the ones that stay exactly the same.
They’re the ones that grow with you.
“If you’re reading this and wondering where you fit in, we hope you know there is a place for you at United Way. You don’t have to start with a big commitment or have all the answers. Start by learning, showing up and finding the way you want to make an impact. We’ve seen firsthand how one experience, one connection or one moment of giving back can change the way you see your community.”
— Jess Engel and Natalie Ganske
Looking for ways to get involved, too? See what opportunities there are at United Way, or check out their upcoming events!
About the Author
Kristina Hein Landin is a marketing and communications professional at United Way of Cass-Clay in Fargo, where she has spent nearly 20 years telling stories that shine a light on the people, partnerships, and programs helping kids and families thrive in our community. At United Way, she gets to see the thread that connects generosity to impact, and she loves telling the stories that help others see it, too.
Outside of work, Kristina is a mom to Annika, 6, and Everett, 4, whose energy is rivaled only by the family’s rambunctious Corgi, Ranger. She draws inspiration and joy from family and friends, motherhood, her United Way teammates, and especially the people whose lives have been touched by United Way’s work. She wholeheartedly believes United Is the Way and that some of the best stories are often the ones happening right in front of us.
